There is suggested a torque transmission chain used in a continuously variable transmission for an automobile in Patent Document 1. The torque transmission chain includes a plurality of links each having front and rear insertion portions, through which pins are inserted, and a plurality of first pins and a plurality of second pins that are arranged one behind the other and that couple the links arranged in the chain widthwise direction such that the front insertion portion of one of the links corresponds to the rear insertion portion of another one of the links, the first pins and the second pins relatively move in rolling contact with each other to thereby allow the links to bend in the longitudinal direction.
In the torque transmission chain of Patent Document 1, the pins repeatedly reciprocate within a preset bending range while being in rolling contact with each other with the transition of the chain from the straight portion to the curved portion or the transition from the curved portion to the straight portion, and the links mutually bend accordingly. When the torque transmission chain is used in a continuously variable transmission, the links may exceed (overshoot) the preset bending range because of a variation or shift in input torque, and the overshooting causes deformation of the links or an increase in noise.
Then, Patent Document 2 suggests that, in such a torque transmission chain, each link has pin contact portions (referred to as “lock points” in this specification) that contact with the corresponding first pin and the corresponding second pin to regulate the maximum relative rotation angle between the links such that the angle formed between the links does not increase beyond a predetermined angle.